Title : Breaking The Habit
Author : Tariq ( formerly Aeris Jade Orion )
Rating : R
Pairing : WR/TM
Timeline : Season Six
Summary : Willow goes to the Devon Coven when
no one else will help her.
Authors note: It's unbeta'd. At the moment I
have no beta reader for this genre. So drop me
a line if you're interested.
Second, due to health issues, and taking care
of my disabled mom, I haven't been able to
write much. But over the last several years
I've managed to slowly write on a number
of stories.
What I've decided to do is go ahead and
publish what I've managed to put together.
The stories are unfinished, and sometimes,
the last chapter I worked on is unfinished.
Plus, there maybe multiple chapters, each one a
different version. Just warning everyone.
So I apologize in advance.
Disclaimer : Not mine. All characters belong
to Joss Whedon.
00000
Prologue
00000
She clutched the ringing phone like a life line.
Her left leg wouldn't stop moving. Jittering up
and down rapidly like a jackhammer.
" Hello? "
" Tara? It's Willow, I need your..."
Click.
The wiccan hung up on her. The blonde hadn't even
heard her out, just... hung up.
Willow clicked off the phone, then turned it
back on again. She rapidly dialed the next number.
" Hello, this is The Magic Box. How can I help
you? " Anya greeted.
" It's Willow. I need you to do a temporary binding
on my magic. " She rushed out.
" Look, I don't know what kind of scheme you're
trying to pull, but I'm not falling for it, so
you can find some other patsy. " Anya hung up.
' Damn. ' Willow sighed, already dialing the
last number.
" Rupert Giles. "
" Giles, it's Willows. I need your help. " She
tried for the last time.
" Buffy? " The man demanded.
" No, she's fine, everyone else is fine. " She
assured him.
" I see. " His voice went frigid. " I'm afraid
I have no time for your foolishness. You will
just have to deal with whatever mess you've
managed to create with your amatuer magical
hijinx's. Or as the saying goes, you've made
your made, lay in it. "
He slammed the phone on her.
She numbly dropped the cordless on the bed and
starred in the full length mirror across from her.
For once, she was willing to admit she was wrong,
to apoloigize to him. So why wouldn't he listen?
" Hey, problem in Scoobyville? " Amy swayed into
the room.
" What are you doing here? " Willow tiredly asked.
" I told you to stay away. "
" The door was unlocked. " Amy smirked. " Besides,
I didn't think you really meant it. We're old
friends. "
" Friends don't take each other to magic dealers.
Especially not Warlocks like Rack! " Willow glared.
Rack was bad news. He'd forced his magic on her,
and worse, cast a modified sirens spell to keep
her coming back. It had taken her two weeks to
discover it. Plus, another week to remove it.
" Rack's cool. You should see his collection of
books. "
" I think you should leave. "
Amy pivoted on her heals, the pleasant smile she
always wore missing, and in it's place was a smirk
of dark amusement. Black magic flowed over a small
orb the former rat cradled in her left hand, now
pointed at her chest.
" You really should have just come back. " Amy said.
" But I'm glad you didn't. It's more fun this way. "
Willow was thrown backwards from the bed and into
the far wall. The influx of black magic making her
scream with agony. Her head pounded as she fought
the urge to let it out. To let it have control.
Still it continued to come. It came until blood
poured from her nose. Came 'til she could see her
veins straining against her skin, and her blood
leaked from her nails.
" Don't fight, Willow, and I'll stop. " Amy
laughed. " Of course, if you insist... "
She moaned in agony. Spasming and twitching with
more power than she could hold. She slammed her
head back into the wall over and over. The magic
spreading in her body demanding more room and not
finding it.
Something had to give. Either her body, or the
magic. There was simply no more space.
A large ball of concentrated magic hit her. The
force and size of it sending her head into the
wall with such force the world momentarily went
black.
An explosion filled her mind, with a cataosphe of
pops in her ears. Thick, liquid ran from them and
she realized it was blood.
The world came back to life and with it reality.
Amy stood there with the, now, broken orb.
" Huh. You're stronger than I thought. Oh well,
I'll be better prepared next time. " Amy shrugged,
then walked out casually. " Later. "
Willow brought her hands up to her ears. Trembling,
silent, and truly scared.
She'd heard every word her onetime friend had said,
but not with her ears, and yet she had.
The red head struggled to her feet. She couldn't
wait around hoping to talk one of the Scoobies
into helping her. Not anymore.
She had to get to Devon. To the coven Giles was
always talking about. The problem was the magic.
There was too much. Most black and out of control.
If she got on a plane like this, it go kabloomy
for sure. Not to mention the cab to the airport.
But Anya refused to bind her, and Tara wouldn't
talk to her...
She gulped. ' Oh crud. '
Willow opened her closet and kneeled beside the
heavy trunk hidden in the back. She made quick
work of the combination lock. Opening the lid
to her super secret stash.
There, in a wooden box, was the Witch's Maiden.
Something Amy had given her the day after Buffy
had fought the girls mother.
Willow had spent the next day helping Amy go
through Catherine's magic supplies. The blonde
had given Willow several things. Including this.
A set of fingerless chainmail gloves coming mid-
forearm, and a set of toeless chainmail socks
which came up mid-calf.
When worn they would bind a witch's powers.
They couldn't be removed except by a special
key. It was a method used and created in the
dark ages.
She gently pulled out the box, relocking the
trunk, and closed the closet. When she kept the
Witch's Maiden it had been in case of an
emergency.
She'd just never assumed the emergency would be
herself.
00000
" She must be taken to the spring. " The seer
finally broke the silence after half a day of
observing the sick girl.
" Absolutely not. " Ms. Harkness barked from
her seat by Willow's bed. " No one has entered
the spring in five hundred years. For Goddess's
sake, Wren, the last witch to enter went mad. "
" Nevertheless, my vision is true. Willow must
be bathed in the spring before our Goddess. "
Wren didn't waver.
" Look at her! " She pointed to the sweat soaked
skeleton in the twin bed. Her feet, calves, arms,
and hands wrapped in blood stained bandages.
Jerking her eyes away from the bandages, she
reminded herself to have the thrice damned
Witches Maiden's burned. Oh, they were rightly
named. Right after the equally damned iron
maiden.
" She may never hear again. " She went on.
" It was meant to happen. " Wren smiled gently.
" The Goddess has chosen to speak to her, and now
she has started to hear her. Unfortunately, the
black magic is interfering, and we must correct
this. "
Ms. Harkness considered her most powerful seer.
She had never doubted the other woman. Not until
now. It was just the thought of letting a young
woman in Willow's condition risk Gaia's Spring...
" Very well. We will proceed. " She agreed with
great reluctance, nodding to the sisters standing
guard.
They moved swiftly. Transferring the young addict
to a gurney. Then the group walked from the room,
through the ancient halls, deep into the
underground basement of the coven castle.
She removed a large, brass key from her knee length
wool coat, and opened the heavy wood door to the
cut stone steps of the spring cave.
The winding stairway was long and slippery. Going
down hundreds of feet into the Earth. Natural
light came from magic in the walls. A soft golden
glow mixed with a rich earthy green.
They stepped off the final step half an hour later.
The cavern the size of two foot ball fields. With
the cavern floor stretching out across one of them.
Ms. Harkness easily cross the distance, stopping at
the waters of the spring. The waters were shallow
for the first five feet. Barely a foot deep, and
crystal clear. The floor slooped gently into it.
Afterwards, the waters became tinted white. So
very hinted at you could see to the bottom of
the springs, but could continue to see the
white of the water.
It was a majestic, magical sight.
" We're ready. " Orla spoke up.
" Then let's begin, and pray to the Goddess for
our sister. " Ms. Harkness watched worriedly.
The two healers, Orla and Sable, stripped the
red head of all worldly possesion's. Even her
bandages had to be removed.
Then with great care, the two carried her down
the sloop, and lowered her into the clear water.
They couldn't cross over to the white water,
instead Orla, pushed the addict into the deeper
white waters, then backed out.
Ms. Harkness flinched as the red head splashed
violently with a heartwrenching scream. The
white water surrounding her was now black. It
would drift away from her to be replaced by
more black.
" Goddess. " Leto pressed her fingertips to her
lips.
" Relax, sisters. " Wren soothed. " The Goddess
has special interest in this child. She will
protect her. "
More black was cleaned from Willow. It came
faster and faster. The white water surging over
the red head, pulling her under the water.
Ms. Harkness stepped forward to the very edge.
The white water seemed to instantly become all
black, then just as quickly white again.
A soft glow appeared from where Willow had
disappeared. Slowly, the red head surfaced, her
long hair pure white. The emerald eyes were wide
open but the eyes had a milky white film over
them.
As the red head floated on her back, Ms. Harkness
could see all the wounds were healed, leaving only
scars behind from the Witches Maiden's.
" Oh... My... Goddess... " Willow breathed.
And Ms. Harkness smiled.
11111
Chapter One
11111
Well, this was fun.
She channeled her healing magic into the teens
body. The broken bones in her neck cracked
unpleasantly while moving back into place. They
fused back together. Finally, her magic moved on
to her heart. A gentle caress restarted it.
She smiled patiently as the girl opened her eyes,
blinking at her in confusion.
" What happened? " She asked. " Wait. Where's the
Turok-Han? Who are you? "
" I'm an old friend of the gangs. " She chuckled
lightly. " Buffy is currently getting the slayer
kicked out of her by it. Now, we should probably
go give her a hand. "
She stood up, and helped the potential slayer up.
Willow moved around the large shipping trailer.
Buffy was defintely over her head.
The Turok-Han was making a joke out of her. The
blonde was a bloody mess. Enough of one, Willow
was truly scared for her.
With a flick of her wrist, the vampire went
flying twenty yards from where her friend lay
panting. She raised her hand, palm up, and
traced a circle in the air.
The vampire roared, running into a golden
shield. It jerked away in pain as it discovered
the sun like qualities of it.
" I could kill you. " Willow explained. " But
it's for someone else to do. However, if you
don't leave, I'm willing to change my mind. "
The uber hissed at her, then disappeared into
the shadows of the backgrouned. She let the
shield drop, and turned back to Buffy.
The blonde was struggling to sit up. The potential
was beside the slayer clearly worried. Willow
shook her head in amusement.
" You never learn. " She walked over to the blonde,
pushing Buffy back down. " Always getting beat up. "
" I am not. I totally kicked his ass. " Buffy
groaned softly. " And where the hell have you been? "
Willow laid her hand on the back of Buffy's neck.
She reached deep into the Earth, gently healing
her best friend. First, the internal injuries.
Second, broken bones. Third, cuts and broken skin.
Last, bruises.
" There you go. All healed. " Will beamed.
" Whoa, handy trick. " Buffy sat up easily, then
blinked, glancing at the potential. " Hey, how
are you alive? "
" I healed her. " Willow explained.
" But... " Buffy frowned.
" She had a broken neck. It was just a matter
of fixing it and restarting her heart. "
" Okay, I'm really wanting an explanation now. "
Buffy decided.
" It'll have to wait. " Willow stood up. " I have
a major case of jetlag, and haven't slept, or had
dinner in forever. "
" Food and bed. I can do that. " Buffy hopped to
her feet. " Well, if you don't mind a house with
a group of potentials. "
" And if I do mind? " She walked lead the two to
her suitcase and carry-on case.
" Considering the First Evil is our newest big
bad, I don't think you have much choice. " Buffy
shrugged.
Willow picked up her luggage, allowing Buffy to
take the large suitcase without protest. " I
didn't think being a Scooby came with babysitting
duty. "
" Imagine how I feel. " Buffy sighed, hooking
her arm through Willow's. " First, Halloween,
then Dawn, and now... "
Now a bunch of hormonal teenage slayer wannabe's.
How quaint.
11111
Willow dropped her case inside the door next to
her suitcase. Glad to see the potential going to
sit with two other teens. One, a long haired girl
seemed to be checking her out, before turning back
to whatever the three were whispering about.
" Look who decided to save the day, and I mean
that literally. " Buffy announced to the other
Scoobies. " What's her name... "
"...Annebelle. " Dawn supplied.
" was dead for a few minutes there, and I nearly
joined her. The Turkish Khan... "
"...Turok-Han. " Giles smiled.
" Right... was so getting medievil on me. "
Buffy admitted.
" I thought you said, you were kicking his ass. "
Willow nudged her.
" Oh hush. " Buffy slapped her shoulder. " Anyway,
Will came swooshing in all superwiccan. I mean,
seriously she healed Annie and chased off turkey
boy, then she just waved her hand and poof I was
all better. "
" It was a little more involved then that Buff. "
Will tried correct her friend.
" But the important thing is your back, and you
saved her. " Dawn hugged her tightly.
The others crowded around to hug her, and she
beamed at the sight of them. Everyone but one.
Despite everything, she felt really hurt by the
Scooby who had turned away from her when she
needed them the most.
Ignoring the weary Tara for the moment, she
approached Giles. The man was in the corner
watching her with his glasses hanging from his
left hand and a book open in his right.
" Giles..."
" Willow, while I'm glad to see you, we really
should... "
She lashed out with a right cross. Her fist
getting him in the jaw with every bit of power
her body could put into it.
He crashed to the floor. Staring up at her in
pain and confusion.
" Bastard! " She said.
" Okay, am I missing something? " Xander asked.
" Well obviously. " Anya nodded.
" Okay, forget sleeping and food, I'm really
wanting that explanation. Now! " Buffy stared
incrediblously.
" Oh yeah. " Xander nodded furiously.
" If it leads to why she's punching Gile's out,
then I agree. " Anya peaked over at the man
still sprawled out.
" Wow, can you teach me how to do that? " Dawn
innocently inquired.
" No! " Came the group answer.
" Fine. " Dawn muttered, heading towards Willow's
old laptop.
-
To Be Continued
